Fire Prevention Tips:The Sounds of Fire Safety

Despite commanding three different fire departments, Chiefs Addington, Ard, and Taylor work together as allies for the betterment of all they represent. When you hear chirps or sirens from your fire alarm or your fire detection system in your home, do you know what they means
When you hear chirps, or sirens from your fire alarm or your fire detection system in your home, do you know what it means?
“A lot of folks will hear chirps, or they'll hear an actual alarm going off in their home. They don't know what it is, or why it is going off. When that alarm goes off, you need to be evacuating because it's detecting or sensing smoke before you can in most cases,” says John Ard, Westlake deputy fire chief and fire marshal.
“We know smoke detectors save lives.”
“Also, sometimes people will start to hear a chirp from their smoke detectors, and they're like, ‘What is that? I just replaced the batteries. It’s still not turning off, it's still chirping!’ Your smoke detectors need to be replaced every ten years. That continued chirping sound after replacing a battery likely means that the smoke detector is at the end of life, and it needs to be replaced,” says Ard.
More Fire and Safety Tips
Devise and discuss an escape plan with kids choose a safe spot outside to gather.
Change smoke detector batteries when daylight savings time ends/begins.
Follow safety precautions if deep-frying a turkey as oil can easily spill and cause injury or damage.
Avoid using portable/space heaters.
Keep fire extinguishers in the kitchen, garage and on the second floor of your home.
Only burn candles when in the same room.
Don’t overload electrical outlets and refrain from using extension cords.
Make sure little ones know how to dial 911 on a cell phone in case of emergency.